london study.

day 1: St. Paul's & Museum of London

500 stairs...

wimbledon.

So this one day I went to Wimbledon. Hopped on the tube out to Wimbledon. Took a taxi to the tournament. Sat on the hill to watch Venus play. Waited in a little line to pay 5pounds for tickets. Sat at Court #1. Watched a ladies' quarterfinals match. Got a sunburn. Walked around the quiet ambience with only little pings of balls being hit by the competitors from various courts.

Enjoyed every minute.

london town.

I'm back by popular demand, because I found myself living outside the country again... But now, I'm in London!! I'm living in the BYU Center, just off of Hyde Park, and taking the senior courses for my Humanities major. It's a miracle that I'm out here again, but everything lined up perfectly for this experience. My parents say I should go into advertising, because I sold this to them so beautifully!! But it's true. This study abroad program is perfect, including research for my honors thesis, my advisor to my thesis, the course that is all about my thesis, a teacher's assistant position in that course, and both of my capstones being offered in a 7-week course. Not hard to convince people of its legitimacy...

So I'll try to add pictures and such as the program continues, but here are a couple from the first days of London!

Prince Albert Memorial, I always see it on my daily runs through Hyde Park.

View from the fire escape of my room. Turns out, I live on the 5TH FLOOR (which is kinda like the 6th, because they do ground levels first...). So I have a fantastic view along with my 4 roommates, but climbing 83 steep steps several times a day gets tiring.

I love Hyde Park.

A bunch of girls met up for dinner on our second day there.

Peter Pan Statue... so adorable.

After visiting Speaker's Corner, we walked through Hyde Park to get a bearing, and I couldn't stop seeing beautiful vantage points that my camera was dying to capture!!

Some of my girls from "The Pent House."

I'm dreadful at blogging, so my posts will mainly consist of photos and short taglines of my activities. Sound splendid?

weekend...

One thing I have come to realize is I can't rely on the weather in Provo. It might be beautiful in the morning, but just wait for the inversion. It might have 100% chance of snow, and yet, people are walking around campus in t-shirts in 40 degree weather. Supposedly there is a storm brewing in Utah, and I hope that I might be able to find a scene like this when I wake up:

I love Monet and skiing.

dogs

Lately, I have been thinking a lot about dogs. Turns out, one of my brothers-in-law knows everything about dogs, so now, I can't help but look up different breeds and pictures all the time. Though I'm possibly allergic... I still want one (And yes, I'm stubborn.)

I can't wait for the day when I have a friend that wants to go on runs with me, that can't wait for me to come home, and that is just a cute, lovable, smiling character around my house. I'm a fan.

Picture via dress, design & decor

outfit lust

I love this ad campaign... and would love to have these outfits!!

Found via Dress, Design, Decor

good quote

The human spirit is stronger than anything that can happen to it.

-George C. Scott

*Photo of my dad.

in love

Turns out, I am a huge Hitchcock fan. Every film has the most fabulous actors from the prime Hollywood days and the actual film techniques are fantastic. Vanity Fair had an editorial of present-day actors posing in Hitchcock's famous scenes, and they are wonderful reinterpretations of familiar faces.

*To Catch a Thief & Dial M For Murder

Amazing right??

Found via Oh Hello

dream wedding

Though I claim myself as a California girl, I do love the style of a country wedding. Martha Stewart has had several spreads of these types of weddings, and I admire how the pictures turn out. I absolutely love the look of rough beams and chinese lanterns in a little barn for a reception. Look at this blog post from A Cup of Jo... what do you think?

I would love a reception up in Jackson Hole, where my grandparents live, because wouldn't that be the perfect backdrop? *sigh

quote of the day

"fall in love with something" -professor kearl

Said by one of the most brilliant men I have had as a professor. Though he butchered my gpa and shrunk my pride, his Econ 110 course taught me a great deal more than just economics. As my time at BYU is rapidly coming to close, I realize this a great quote for all those in my similar situation. Though many subjects may interest me, humanities won my heart, and I have certainly fell in love with the study of people, culture, art, history, etc. Who knows what kind of job I could get... but oh well! At least I fell in love, Profess Kearl!

Hopefully, you are having a great day.

Another quote to end on: "Self? Great day."

realizing

After living in Provo again for the past week or so, I realize how much I miss my city, Paris.

I miss the conversations I had with the people I encountered everyday, including my infamous host mother.

I miss the opportunity to visit the amazing variety of museums (cough cough... Orsay, Louvre, Rodin...).

I miss the array of flavorful food, from the pastries at the corner bakery, the meals at Cafe du Marche, the hot chocolate at Angelina's, and the bread found everywhere. Especially now that I'm off of dairy and wheat, I miss them more and more everyday!

I miss the classes I took, compared to the intense, but necessary, courses I'm taking this semester.

I miss the traveling to history-rich places like Arles, Bruges, Amsterdam, Normandy, etc.

I miss just walking the streets of Paris, seeing and encountering new things everywhere.

I miss Paris. But I'll be back soon and I'll endeavor to make the best of the next semester.

colmar

This past week, I took the 3 hour train out to Colmar for a day, and trust me, it was well worth it! Five Christmas markets scattered about a city filled with frosted trees and decorated buildings. Here are some pictures!

bags are packed

Tomorrow, I head back home! It has been amazing experience, and I will savor each memory everyday. From the monuments, museums, and architecture to the food, people, and culture, I will miss it.

Je t'aime, Paris!

(But I am excited for upcoming Christmas festivities!!)

(The picture is quite gloomy, but Paris offered up torrential rain today! Thanks paris. Great way to end.)

My Paris

To end off my semester in Paris, our final photography project was titled "My Paris." So basically, putting into photos our experience. Here is a little something I did...

Paris is full of sights and scenes, made famous through the years.

People hurry from place to place to take it all in.

To go.

To see.

To experience.

We are constantly in motion. I come full circle with this idea. But instead now, our motion is not the theme, but instead, the backdrop becomes the idea in question. We are in motion, while they remain statuesque, standing against the years of history and experiences. We are only a small moment passing by, but they remain.

mois de la photo

This week's project was to be inspired by the Photo Exhibits for Paris' Mois de la Photo. My photos are based on works by Michael Kenna and Jan Yoors. Hope you like...

lately

The sunset was spectacular one day, and thankfully, I had my camera to capture its brilliance!

From the top of the Pompidou Centre.

A giant ferris wheel for Saint Nicolas' Day! So excited for the Christmas markets...

The Pantheon: a must-see.

Paris is lovely.